House of York

Surviving Letters of the Countess of Salisbury

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Countess of Salisbury We all know the tragic end of Margaret Pole, Countess of Salisbury. If you are new to Tudor history I'd highly recommend reading the guest article by Alan Freer called, "The Last Plantagenet" to get yourself better acquainted with her life, and grizzly execution. Margaret was the daughter of George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence. George was the brother of both King Edward IV and Richard III. This letter is written by Margaret Pole, Countess of [More]

The Life and Love of the Pretender

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During the reign of King Henry VII, the "Pretender," Perkin Warbeck claimed to be Richard, Duke of York, the second son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. At the time it was very significant for Warbeck to come forward as the Duke of York because there were still many Yorkist supporters -- Henry VII had only reigned for a short time and some noblemen and subjects alike had hoped for a York resurrection. If he were indeed the son of the late King Edward IV the throne of [More]

Queens: The Three Elizabeths

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From 1461 to 1603 there were three Elizabeths with the title of Queen - granted two were Queen consorts and one was Queen regnant, but regardless, for the sake of this post they were all queens. Queen Elizabeth Woodville (c. 1437 - 1492) - the consort of King Edward IV Queen Elizabeth of York (1466 - 1503) - the consort of King Henry VII Queen Elizabeth I (1533 - 1603) - Queen regnant of England The first Elizabeth, Elizabeth Woodville, was a commone [More]

Elizabeth Tudor: Lost English Princess

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Part 6: Elizabeth Tudor: Lost English Princess, 4th child and 2nd daughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York.  "2 July 1492 - birth of Elizabeth Tudor, Princess of England and daughter of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, at Sheen Palace. The fourth child and second daughter, Elizabeth's short life is poorly documented and little is known of this tragic princess. As a younger sister to Arthur, Margaret and the future Henry VIII, it is likely she spent the majority o [More]

The Redemption of Elizabeth of York

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Part 1: Elizabeth of York, mother of Arthur, Margaret, Henry, Elizabeth, Mary, Edmund & Katherine Tudor In 1485 Henry Tudor took the throne of England from Richard III on the battlefield -- with this win he successfully ended the Wars of the Roses. Elizabeth Woodville, the mother of Elizabeth of York, and Henry Tudor's mother, Margaret Beaufort, had made an arrangement for Elizabeth of York to wed Henry if he won at the Battle of Bosworth against Elizabeth's [More]

The Tower of London – the Most Haunted Castle in England

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The Tower of London could be called the most haunted place in London as it has seen hundred of executions. Some justified, some not. Many of the prisoners who entered the Tower only left to go to their execution. Most executions were public events and were well attended. Seems a little morbid now. Traitors could expect to be hung, drawn and quartered - the most inhumane of executions - the prisoner was hung and cut down still alive, their heart and entrails removed and [More]

Wars of the Roses – Beginning to the Battle of Towton

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When it comes to the Wars of the Roses I am most attracted to it because it's cousins fighting over the throne of England. Richard, 3rd Duke of York attempted to take the throne from his cousin Henry VI but failed. Eventually his son, Edward, Earl of March would succeed as Edward IV, but not without many battles of his own. These wars are what eventually led to the Tudor Dynasty - the one my site is primarily based on. The beginning: Edward III's descendants are behind [More]

York Sisters in a Tudor World (Guest Post)

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York Sisters in a Tudor World Guest Article written by Samantha Wilcoxson Much is written about the York remnant after Henry Tudor came to power in 1485. The fate of men like John de la Pole and his brothers is well documented, but what about the women who suddenly found themselves on the wrong side of power? No one knew this struggle more than the daughters of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. They had been raised as royal princesses but were then named bastards [More]

Katherine of Aragon: Princess of Wales

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Infanta Katherine of Aragon Birth: 15/16 December 1485, Palace of Bishop of Toledo Parents: Ferdinand II of Aragon & Isabella l of Castile Katherine of Aragon was named after her great-grandmother, Katherine of Lancaster - daughter of John of Gaunt and his second wife, Infanta Constance of Castile. Henry VII also descended from John of Gaunt and his third wife. John of Gaunt was son of Edward III. Technically speaking, Katherine of Aragon had a stronger claim [More]

Henry VII and the Princes in the Tower

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In 1483 Edward V and Richard, Duke of York disappeared from the Tower of London. They were the sons of the late Edward IV and his queen, Elizabeth Woodville. Edward V was born 2 November 1470 in Westminster Abbey where his mother had taken sanctuary from the Lancastrians who had deposed his father during the Wars of the Roses. His brother, Richard was born 17 August 1473 in Shrewsbury, England when Edward IV ruled over England once again. Shortly before his sudden dea [More]

The Personal Tragedies of Henry VII

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Guest article by: Karlie aka History Gal It was April 2nd 1502 when Arthur Tudor, age 15, died. To honor Arthur’s short life, masses were said, ceremonies were held and a lavish funeral took place. It was April 25th 1502 when he was finally laid to rest at Worcester Cathedral. The general consensus was that Arthur’s death was caused by the plague or sweating sickness. In recent years, many historians believe that Arthur’s death could have been cause [More]

The Victory of the White Rose at The Battle of Tewkesbury

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Written by: Moniek - Blogger  Follow on twitter!: @HistoryRoyalWmn Snippet from her article for Royal Central: The White Rose of York and the Red Rose of Lancaster had been in battle for the throne of England for quite some time. At the time of the Battle of Tewkesbury the Yorkists were being led by Edward of York, or Edward IV and the Lancastrians were being led by Margaret of Anjou, in name of her husband Henry VI and her son, Edward of Westminst [More]

The Funeral of Queen Elizabeth of York, the First Tudor Queen of England

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Story shared by Susan Abernethy of TheFreelanceHistoryWriter.com Elizabeth of York, Queen to King Henry VII of England, died in the Tower of London on February 11, 1503. She had given birth to a daughter Katherine on February 2 and never recovered. The death was a shock to her husband, her children and to the nation. Due to detailed accounts, most likely composed by a herald, we have a narration of the funeral as well as financial account records. The king ordered two [More]

Battle of Bosworth – 22 August 1485

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  The Battle of Bosworth was THE battle that determined the entire future of England and quite possibly the husband of Elizabeth of York. Would Richard III continue as king, or would Henry Tudor take the throne of England for himself on the battlefield? On 1 August 1485, Henry Tudor and a company of some 2000 soldiers set sail from Seine estuary for Wales. On the 7th, the small army landed at Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire, from where it advanced, unchallenged b [More]

Letter from Perkin Warbeck

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Translated from Latin. [To Isabella of Castile, 1493: (British Library MS Egerton 616), as quoted by I. Arthurson in The Perkin Warbeck Conspiracy, P. 49-50] "I myself, then nearly nine years of age, was also delivered to a certain Lord to be killed, [but] it pleased Divine Clemency, that lord, having compassion on my innocence, preserved me alive in safety: first, however, causing me to swear on the holy sacrament that to no one should I disclose my name, origin, or [More]